1. Technical Field
This invention relates to vehicle article carrier systems, and more particularly to a multi-position vehicle article carrier system having a cargo supporting structure capable of being secured over a liftgate of a vehicle and moved into a second position over a roof portion of the vehicle once cargo is loaded onto the cargo supporting structure.
2. Discussion
Vehicle article carriers are used in a wide variety of vehicles to support cargo and various other articles above an outer body surface, such as a roof portion, of a vehicle. Typically, such systems include a pair of side rails or slats which are fixedly secured to the roof portion of the vehicle. Usually a pair of cross bars are secured to the side rails or slats to extend transversely therebetween. The cargo is then positioned on the cross bars and secured down via suitable securing straps or bungee cords so that the cargo is held securely on the article carrier while the vehicle is in use.
One drawback with any conventional vehicle article carrier system is the occasional difficulty of lifting cargo and other articles to be transported up onto the roof portion of the vehicle. This is particularly so if the vehicle is a sport utility vehicle or a mini van, in which case the roof thereof is often at a height which is higher than many individuals can reach easily when attempting to lift cargo onto the article carrier. Removing cargo from the vehicle article carrier can often be just as difficult depending, of course, on the specific cargo, its dimensions and its weight.
Some attempts have been made to overcome this problem by providing a vehicle article carrier which has some form of movable load supporting structure which can be disposed in a temporary position in which cargo can be more easily loaded thereunto. Such systems, for example, are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,649,655; 5,505,579 and 5,417,358.
The systems illustrated in the above-mentioned patents typically suffer from one or more drawbacks. Often, such systems are complex to manufacture, and therefore costly. With some such devices, they cannot be left in a xe2x80x9cloweredxe2x80x9d position, but rather must be maintained in a retracted position on top of the vehicle roof. Some also do not allow for convenient opening of the liftgate of a vehicle when the cargo supporting portion is in its lowered position.
In view of the foregoing, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a vehicle article carrier having a cargo supporting structure which can be articulated between a first position, wherein the cargo supporting structure extends down alongside a portion of the vehicle, such as over the liftgate of the vehicle, and a second position in which the cargo supporting structure is supported over the roof of the vehicle.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a vehicle article carrier having a cargo supporting structure which can be articulated between a first position wherein it extends over the liftgate of a vehicle, and a second position in which it extends generally parallel outwardly from the roof of the vehicle, and therefore enables opening and closing of the liftgate without interference from the cargo supporting portion, and further without the need for the cargo supporting portion to be fully positioned over the vehicle roof before the liftgate can be opened.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a multi-position vehicle article carrier in which a cargo supporting structure is used to support cargo in either a first position over the liftgate of a vehicle, or a second position on top of the vehicle, and wherein the vehicle article carrier includes a locking mechanism preventing movement of the cargo supporting structure until this structure is articulated into an intermediate position, whereupon the locking mechanism is automatically unlocked to allow the entire cargo supporting structure to be slid over the roof of the vehicle and secured over the roof.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an article carrier system having a cargo supporting structure which can be secured over a liftgate of a vehicle, and which further includes a manually rotatable actuating rod which allows the cargo supporting structure to be unlocked at both of its lower corners, simultaneously, with a single turn of the actuating rod.
The above and other objects are provided by a multi-position, articulating, vehicle article carrier apparatus and method. In one embodiment the apparatus includes a pair of side rails adapted to be fixedly disposed on a roof portion of a vehicle such as a station wagon, sport utility vehicle (SUV) or minivan. The side rails each include channels for receiving articulating assemblies which are slidably disposed on the side rails. Pivotally secured to the articulating assemblies is a cargo supporting structure. The cargo supporting structure includes at least one, but preferably a pair, of cross bars for supporting cargo thereon. The cargo supporting structure may be secured at its free end to a portion of the vehicle such as the bumper or even portions of the vehicle body extending alongside the liftgate.
The cargo supporting structure includes an actuator bar assembly disposed adjacent to its free end which may be grasped with one hand by an individual and turned. This simultaneously unlocks at least one, but preferably a pair, of locking mechanisms which otherwise secure the free end of the cargo supporting structure to the bumper or vehicle body. Once unlocked, the cargo supporting structure can be lifted upwardly to an intermediate position extending generally parallel to the roof portion of the vehicle. Once in this position, a camming mechanism associated with the articulating assembly automatically unlocks the articulating assembly such that the entire articulating assembly and cargo supporting structure can be moved slidably along the side rails onto the roof portion of the vehicle. Once disposed over the roof portion, the free end of the cargo supporting structure can be secured to a pair of locking assemblies associated with each of the side rails.
It is an advantage of the vehicle article carrier of the present invention that the end of the cargo supporting structure pivotally secured to the articulating assemblies is locked against movement until the entire cargo supporting structure is lifted into the intermediate position, whereupon automatic unlocking of the articulating assemblies occurs. Thus, the cargo supporting structure is held fixedly in a very stable position whether it is disposed over the liftgate of the vehicle (i.e., in a xe2x80x9cloweredxe2x80x9d position) or on top of the vehicle. Accordingly, cargo can be loaded and supported on the cargo supporting structure not only while the structure is disposed on top of the vehicle, but while the cargo supporting structure is disposed in its lowered position over the liftgate. Being able to load and unload cargo while the cargo supporting structure is in its lowered position adds significantly to the ease in loading and unloading cargo from the article carrier.
It is also an important advantage of the present invention that the article carrier thereof does not interfere with opening and closing of the liftgate once the cargo supporting structure is unlocked from the bumper or body portion of the vehicle. Thus, access can be gained to the interior of the vehicle through the liftgate quickly and easily, and even while cargo is secured to the cargo supporting structure. All that is required is for the user to manually rotate the actuator bar assembly to unlock the free end of a cargo supporting structure from the bumper or body of the vehicle, lift the cargo supporting structure into the intermediate position and then slide it forwardly over the roof of the vehicle.
The multi-position, articulating, vehicle article carrier of the present invention thus provides an easy and convenient means of loading cargo onto a portion of the article carrier and transporting the cargo either over the liftgate of the vehicle or on top of the vehicle. The cargo supporting structure of the vehicle article carrier is further lightweight, easily articulated by a single person, and provides significant added ease in loading, positioning and unloading cargo onto and off of the vehicle article carrier.